10:00am: I'm hungry, but I get the impression that it's more because I habitually wake up and eat than actually needing food.

13:45pm: Dinner will start soon and I'm READY to eat, but it's not urgent....

Looking at the week in numbers

​This week I have been experimenting with 16:8 intermittent fasting. My "feeding window" (I know how it sounds, and that is really how it is ;) ) is from 13:00-21:00 (although a couple of times I have finished eating at around 21:30 this week.

These are my macros for the past week ( blue = carbs, red = fats, green = protein), as you can see, I've stuck with a lowered carb diet (generally between 25-35% of my daily intake) and increased fats and protein.

My average daily calorie intake for the week (NET) has been 1546 kcal/day, which is a little low - and is not counting my "refeed" day which is today (FOOD here I come...!!).

Pros and Cons

Here's what I think (bearing in mind that I'm only one week in):

PROS

I have lost 2.5Ibs (my weight had been steadily increasing week on week for the past three weeks) and I'm actually at the lowest weight I've been since summer. This is with one less weight workout this week (negligble) and less hours spent on cardio (around 30 mins 3 x this week). I can also feel the familiar feeling of my muscles holding a lot of weight, so I'm pretty impressed. Of course it's FAR too early to make any causal links!

My days have been simpler. I have had more time in the morning

I have also felt considerably better this week. I've had months of digestive issues, including bloating and stomach pain - which haven't been present at all this week.

It took a few days to "regularise" (is that even a word?) myself, but after that, my digestive tract has been operating like clockwork (TMI?? ;) ).

It made me realise that a large portion of my eating habits are behavioural rather than physiological.

It has stopped my late-night snacking.

It makes it easier to comply to my calorie goal (1650 NET), allowing me to have larger, (and I feel) more satisfying meals.

It made me appreciate my feeding window...!!

CONS:

Breaking the physical barrier is hard. I'm still trying to do it.

Breaking the psychological connection with food is hard, accepting I eat out of boredom a lot of the time is also hard!

There have been mornings where my mood has been very low (an issue I find linked to missing meals).

All in all?

​Take me to week two ;)

Previous Diary Entries

Day 1: http://www.diaryofapoleaddict.com/blog/intermittent-fasting-day-1-i-told-you-i-need-supervision

Day 2:http://www.diaryofapoleaddict.com/blog/intermittent-fasting-day-2-what-if-i-lick-this

Day 3:http://www.diaryofapoleaddict.com/blog/intermittent-fasting-day-3-you-wanna-piece-of-me-punk

Day 4:http://www.diaryofapoleaddict.com/blog/intermittent-fasting-day-4-its-e-day

Day 5: http://www.diaryofapoleaddict.com/blog/intermittent-fasting-day-5-the-hunger-abates

Day 6:http://www.diaryofapoleaddict.com/blog/intermittent-fasting-day-6-the-fast-is-extended